


Up To Old Tricks

by Joycee



Category: Queer as Folk (US), White Collar
Genre: Jealousy, M/M, Old Friends, Romance, Suspicions, White Collar Crime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-23 04:54:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15598722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joycee/pseuds/Joycee
Summary: Advertising executive Brian Kinney makes a business trip to New York City and runs into his old partner in crime Neal Caffrey, making Special Agent Peter Burke suspicious and Brian’s lover Justin Taylor jealous. At the same time, a valuable painting disappears from the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, PA.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (This story takes place around Season 3 of White Collar and after QAF ended, so there may be spoilers.)
> 
>  
> 
> _In this story, the present ages of the characters are about 40 for Brian, 35 for Neal, and 28 for Justin. Brian would have been about 23 and Neal about 18 when they first met._

Advertising executive Brian Kinney strode confidently down Madison Avenue with his attention focused on his meeting with a prominent firm that was interested in taking over Kinnetik, his own small agency in Pittsburgh. He was impeccably groomed and elegantly clad in a new Armani suit. His thoughts were rudely interrupted as he brushed up against a handsome man hurrying in the other direction.

Brian gave an ironic smile to the suave man dressed in a classic grey Devore suit with a fedora jauntily perched on his head. He drawled, “Well, you never know who you might run into in the big city, do you?”

Neal Caffrey lit up as he recognized his old acquaintance and embraced him enthusiastically. He exclaimed, “Brian! I can’t believe it! What are you doing here?”

Brian glanced at his watch and quipped, “Oh, you know, pursuing fame and fortune. Listen, I have an important meeting right now, but would you like to meet for coffee later?”

“Sure, I love coffee,” Neal agreed readily. “What time are you free?”

Thinking of his long time lover Justin Taylor, Brian sighed, “Free is a complicated concept. How about if we meet at 3:00 at my hotel. I’m staying at The Four Seasons.”

“Okay, it’s a date,” Neal confirmed, swooping in to give Brian a quick kiss on his cheek. He leered, “You want to meet at your hotel, huh? You haven’t changed a bit, have you?”

Shifting his weight uncomfortably, Brian frowned slightly, “Not much anyway. See you then.”

As Brian hurried off, Neal slowed down and thought back to the first time they met. Neal had stopped in several cities on his way to New York when he left St. Louis after finding out about his father. He had intended to stay in Pittsburgh only long enough to gather some cash so he could continue his trip. 

_Neal stopped into a bar called Woodys to hustle some pool and play cards. He was cleaning up nicely until the stud of Liberty Avenue swaggered in. He observed Neal keenly and then inquired, “Where did you come from, Slick?”_

_Neal glanced at him and replied casually, “St. Louis. Who wants to know?”_

_Brian smirked, “Ask anyone here who I am. The question is who are you?”_

_“Neal Caffrey,” volunteered Neal, stretching his arm out for a handshake._

Instead, Brian grabbed his hand and pulled the handsome young stranger close up against him. He murmured, “Whatever. Wanna fuck?”

_Neal was mesmerized by the intense hazel eyes staring at him, but he hesitated and quipped, “Aren’t you even gonna buy me a drink or anything?”_

_Brian guffawed, “I’m not asking you for a date, Princess, just a fuck.”_

_“In that case, I’m afraid I’m busy right now,” sassed Neal as he turned back to the pool table._

_When he smoothly completed his turn, he had won yet another game and the other players were groaning goodnaturedly and paying up._

_Brian shook his head and remarked, “Hey, you’re pretty good. Looks like you’re costing my friends a lot of money.”_

_“A man has to eat.” Neal grinned. “You up next?”_

_“Oh, I’m up,” Brian leered. “But I never pay for it.”_

Neal chuckled as he recalled how that memorable night had progressed. It had been a long time since he had thought of Brian Kinney, but he was someone no one could ever forget. Neal was getting hard just from remembering the amazing sex.

As he entered the elevator still lost in thought, he failed to notice Agents Clinton Jones and Diana Berrigan already inside. Jones jostled him and teased, “Hey Caffrey, planning a big con? You’re a thousand miles away.”

“Only a few hundred miles away, actually,” chuckled Neal. “I was just thinking about an old friend I just ran into.”

Jones and Diana exchanged significant looks. Old friends of their CI rarely meant good news.

Their boss Special Agent Peter Burke greeted the three of them as they entered the FBI office and motioned for them to follow him to the conference room. When they were seated, he proceeded to brief them, “We have a new case. We have reason to believe that one of Monet’s famous Water Lilies paintings is being offered for sale on the black market here in New York.”

“One of those paintings is in the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, isn’t it?” Neal questioned.

“Supposed to be, yes,” Peter frowned, “but it seems that they recently discovered their painting is a forgery, an excellent one that has gone undiscovered for years.”

Everyone turned to Neal, who put on his most innocent look and protested, “Well, don’t look at me.”

Peter pursued, “Neal, did you ever spend any time in Pittsburgh? There are gaps between the time you left St. Louis and when you first came onto our radar that are unaccounted for.”

Neal sputtered, “Peter, you need more than that to go on. Just because I might have been somewhere doesn’t make me an automatic suspect.”

Peter raised his eyebrows and asked, “No? So, have you ever been to Pittsburgh?”


	2. Chapter 2

After seeing Brian Kinney earlier and making plans to meet him, Neal knew he couldn’t deny it. Anyway, he wondered himself what was going on, so he disclosed, “Well, as a matter of fact, I have. Funny thing, I just ran into an old friend from there earlier today. I’m meeting him this afternoon for coffee at The Four Seasons.”

Jones sighed and shook his head at Diana. Peter quickly asserted, “Well, that’s just great. I’ll go with you to meet him.”

Neal exclaimed, “Peter, no. Why would you do that?”

Peter smirked, “Any friend of yours is bound to be interesting and this particular friend seems to be from Pittsburgh where a very important painting is missing. He just happens to be here in New York where that painting is being shopped around illegally.”

Neal managed to keep a poker face and calmly returned Peter’s stare. Nevertheless, Peter demanded, “Who is he, Neal?”

“He’s Brian Kinney, founder, President and CEO of Kinnetik Advertising company,” Neal stated neutrally.

“Oh,” Peter paused. “I’ve heard of him. He’s known for being unconventional, but not a criminal. Jones, run a profile on him.”

He continued in a professional manner, “Diana, I want you to follow up with the Carnegie about the forgery. Neal, I need you to see if you can find out who is trying to sell the painting, who is fencing it, and who might be buying it.”

Jones and Diana left the room, but Neal lingered uncomfortably. He said quietly, “Peter, uh, I have, or I mean had, um, a personal relationship with Brian Kinney. It was when I stopped in Pittsburgh on my way here to New York.”

“What do you mean by personal? You were friends?” queried Peter.

Neal looked down and then stared out the window as he confessed softly, “We were lovers.”

Peter turned abruptly to face him and exclaimed, “You were what?! Okay, Neal, we need to talk now. What time are we meeting Kinney?”

Neal’s shoulders slumped slightly and then he nodded, “Okay, Peter. I’m meeting him at 3:00 so we’d better talk now.”

When they were settled in Peter’s office, Neal described his first meeting with Brian Kinney in Pittsburgh. He looked down as he confessed, “I had never had sex with a man, but Brian was so was compelling. He made me feel things I had never imagined.”

“But Neal, I didn’t know you were even attracted to men. Had you even had sex with a woman?” Peter wondered.

“No, I was a virgin. I was hustling pool at a gay bar because I knew I had a great ass and it helped attract potential marks,” Neal admitted.

“So this Brian Kinney took advantage of you,” huffed Peter. “I’m surprised you consider him a friend.”

Neal protested, “No, it wasn’t like that. I was crazy about him. After that first night, he couldn’t get rid of me. After he heard how I had left home and was trying to make it on my own, he kind of took me under his wing. He let me stay at his place for a little while.”

Neal smiled sadly as he recalled Brian’s chagrin when his friends started calling Neal his boyfriend.

_At the Babylon nightclub that night, Brian retorted, “I don’t do boyfriends. He’s my stalker. Anyway, he’s kind of a lost little lamb.”_

_Neal gazed into his golden brown eyes as Brian wrapped his arms around him, pulled him onto the dance floor, and kissed him deeply. Neal wanted nothing more than to stay with his exciting lover, but he knew that would never happen. He decided to enjoy it as long as he could._

_After a night of passionate sex, they sat in the Liberty Avenue diner and Brian remarked, “What am I going to do with you, Princess?”_

_The boisterous red headed waitress named Debbie huffed, “Haven’t you done enough already? Of course, I don’t see him complaining. Are you, Gorgeous?”_

_Her son Michael chimed in, “I guess not! Brian is doing everything for him!”_

_Their friend Ted Schmidt commented wryly, “You mean, doing everything to him.”_

_Another member of the group, Emmett Honeycutt tittered, “That’s more like it.”_

_Neal felt humiliated and bragged recklessly, “I don’t need anyone to take care of me. I’m not just a hustler. I am an artist and one day I will be famous!”_

_That afternoon when Neal returned to Brian’s loft, he was stunned to find an easel and canvas set up on a drop cloth in a corner of the room along with an expensive set of oil paints, charcoals, brushes, and other art supplies. Wanting to impress Brian, Neal immediately sketched out a preliminary drawing of Brian stretched out on his bed, nude and relaxed, and he began to paint it._

_When Brian staggered in early the next morning after a long night at the baths, Neal was still lost in his work and barely looked up to greet him. Brian approached him from behind and put his hands on Neal’s waist. He observed wryly, “Princess, you really do have talent.”_

Neal’s attention snapped back to the present as Peter watched him and listened intently to his story. Neal looked at the time and suggested, “If we’re going to meet Brian at The Four Seasons, we should get going. I’m pretty sure he won’t wait around for me.”

Peter grumbled, “There’s a lot more to this story that you haven’t told me. I guess it won’t hurt to go meet the man, but I expect to hear the rest later, Neal.”

Neal pleaded, “Peter, please don’t ask Brian a lot of questions or accuse him of anything.”

“Now why would I do that?” Peter teased as Neal frowned, buttoned his coat, and flipped his hat onto his head.


	3. Chapter 3

When Brian returned to his hotel, he hurried up to his room to freshen up before meeting Neal downstairs for coffee. To his surprise, his partner Justin Taylor was stretched out on the bed in his underwear perusing his tablet.

“What are you doing here, Justin?” Brian questioned. “I thought you weren’t coming until the weekend.”

“Well,” Justin drawled sexily. “I wanted to come sooner. I figured I could count on you to help me with that.”

Brian hesitated for a moment and then shook his head dejectedly. “I have to go downstairs to meet with an old friend. He’ll be here in just a few minutes.”

“Who is this mystery man? Are you seeing him for business or pleasure?” pouted Justin.

Brian sat gingerly on the side of the bed and stroked Justin’s soft blonde hair. He soothed, “No one for you to be worried about. He’s just someone I knew a long time ago before I ever met you.”

“How did you run into him then? Does he live here?” quizzed Justin.

“Well, I don’t really know. That’s what I’m going to find out,” explained Brian. “Hey, why don’t you come with me? He’s an interesting guy. I think you’ll like him.”

Justin made a last attempt to reach for Brian’s crotch, but Brian removed his hand and gave it a gentle kiss. He smiled, “Later.”

“Okay, then,” Justin decided. “Give me a minute to throw on my clothes. Let’s go meet your old flame.”

They strolled into the cafe and took seats next to each other. Before they could even order, Neal arrived with another man who was dressed in an ordinary Brooks Brothers suit and looking very posssesive of Neal. 

Brian waved them over and both Brian and Neal observed simultaneously, “I see you brought a friend.”

They laughed and Neal and Peter sat down. Brian offered, “This is my partner, Justin Taylor.”

“Partner?” questioned Neal. “I didn’t know you had one. I thought you owned Kinnetik all yourself.”

Brian smiled slyly, “I do. That’s not the kind of partner I meant.”

As Neal processed that information, Brian continued proudly, “Justin is an artist, Neal. He has had some successful shows already.”

He nodded toward Peter and pressed, “Now who is this?”

Neal flushed slightly and revealed his ankle monitor. He admitted, “This is Peter Burke. He’s an FBI agent. Actually, he’s my boss. I’m his Criminal Informant.”

Justin stared openly as Brian asked calmly, “What did you caught for, Slick?”

Peter broke in, “He was convicted of bond forgery, but we suspect him of numerous other cons and art crimes as well.”

Brian’s grin spread across his face as he chuckled, “And I thought you were too good to ever get caught, Princess.”

Gazing fondly at Brian, Neal said, “Well, I had a good run, but they always get you in the end.”

Justin mumbled, “Yeah, I’ll bet somebody got you in the end. So how do you and Brian know each other?”

Brian dismissed him, “Later, Sunshine. I’ll tell you all about it. Neal and I met when he was passing through the Pitts some years ago.”

Peter leaned in and encouraged, “Hey, i’d like to hear that story, too. Neal just started telling me before we came here. It seems that you may have given Neal his start in the art world.”

Justin huffed, “Brian! Is that true? How come you never told me about him? Is he any good?”

“Um, I’m sitting right here,” reminded Neal, “and yes, I am very good.”

For some reason, Neal enjoyed the tension he was creating between Brian and his young blond boyfriend. Maybe because it was taking some of the attention off of his criminal history.

They all ordered ridiculously expensive coffees and Peter ventured, “So did you know that the Carnegie Museum of Art discovered its famous Water Lilies painting was a forgery? There’s a rumor that it’s for sale on the black market here in New York.”

As he observed their reactions closely, Peter thought he detected the slightest tell cross Brian’s countenance. Justin smiled proudly, “Actually, I was the one who pointed it out to them. I noticed a slight discrepancy in the brush work when I was studying it one day. They didn’t want to believe me at first, but after they did the tests, there was no denying it.”

“Wasn’t that clever of you,” Neal muttered irritably. “You’re quite the boy wonder.”

Justin asked enthusiastically, “Oh, have you seen Rage, the gay comic book? Our friend Michael Novotny and I made that. I’m JT.”

Peter watched the uncomfortable reactions of Neal and Brian and wondered what was really going on. Neal replied curtly, “No, actually. I’ve never heard of it.”

Brian tried to change the subject by asking, “So how did Agent Burke catch you, Neal?”

Peter guffawed, “You mean the first time or the second time? Both times, it was because he couldn’t stay away from his girlfriend.”

Justin breathed an audible sigh of relief. “Oh, so you’re not gay, Neal?”

Brian and Neal exchanged ironic looks as Neal answered, “I was very much in love with my girlfriend Kate.”

“You always were a fool for love,” Brian commented innocently. “What happened? Did she go to jail, too? Or did she betray you and turn you in?”

Neal squirmed and Peter touched his arm supportively as Neal replied sadly, “She died when our escape plane exploded.” After a moment, Neal looked mournfully at Brian and said softly, “You remember Vincent Adler? He was the one who was responsible.”

Peter took a deep breath and looked curiously at Neal. There was an awkward silence until Brian looked at his watch and observed, “I have a dinner meeting with a client this evening, but afterward Justin and I will probably check out some clubs. Neal, would you like to come with us?”

Much to Peter’s and Justin’s chagrin, they exchanged phone numbers. The four men quickly finished their coffees with a little more awkward conversation and then they parted ways.


	4. Chapter 4

Back upstairs in their room, Justin was querulously demanding, “So Brian, tell me who this Neal Caffrey is and how you know him. Did you know he was a criminal?”

Brian wrestled him onto the bed and kissed him. He placated, “Don’t be jealous, dear. Come on to dinner with me. We can talk about all this later.”

“It’s a business meeting. I’d be out of place,” objected Justin. “Anyway, that’s what you said earlier. I want to know what’s going on.”

Brian stripped Justin’s clothes off and coaxed him into the shower. He took time to blow him before they dried off and dressed for dinner. He hoped a nice dinner would soothe Justin. His feelings for Neal were complicated and anyway, this meeting was important for his business.

At the restaurant, Brian introduced Justin, but soon became engrossed in technical financial discussions. At one point, their dinner partner reminded Brian that he used to be associated with the notorious financial conman Vincent Adler, something he had entirely forgotten.

Justin morosely slurped down drinks while Brian tried to conduct his business. By the time they said goodnight, Justin could barely walk without Brian’s assistance. In the elevator at the hotel, Justin gave Brian a loopy grin and slurred, “I guess I got a little drunk.” He wrapped himself around Brian and started humping his leg.

Brian pushed the button for their floor and laughed, “Yeah, a little. At least you had a good time.”

As they got off the elevator, he noticed Justin looking queasy. “You’re not going to puke, are you, Sunshine?”

Justin nodded miserably and Brian had barely guided him to the bathroom before he vomited. After rinsing his mouth, he collapsed onto the bed and gazed helplessly up at his amused boyfriend. He asked weakly, “Blow me?”

Brian knelt beside him and fulfilled his wish, using his considerable skill to bring him off before he passed out. Brian kissed him lightly and changed into form fitting black pants and shirt, admiring his still toned physique in the mirror. He quietly left the hotel room as he dialed Neal’s number.

Neal had returned home after work to find Mozzie in his kitchen perusing his wine selection. Needing to talk to someone, he had shared a bottle of a good vintage as he told Mozzie about running into Brian Kinney and Peter’s report of the missing Monet.

Mozzie alertly surmised, “So Mr. Kinney was your first walk on the wild side, eh? So what did you have to do with the forged Monet?”

Neal leaned back and recollected the rest of the story of his time in Pittsburgh.

_Neal had been busy painting portraits when his talent came to the attention of Brian’s lesbian friend Lindsay Peterson, a local art teacher. She and her girlfriend Melanie Peterson offered to take him to the Carnegie Museum one afternoon to show him their noted collection of Andy Warhol works. Neal admired the creativity, but he thought he could probably mimic them without too much difficulty._

_What Neal loved the most was the famous nineteenth century painting Water Lilies (or Nymphéas in French), one of six large panels that was nearly 20 feet long and over six feet wide. After that, Neal began to paint water lilies almost as prolifically as the French Impressionist Claude Monet, who painted a series of approximately 250 oil paintings depicting the flower garden at his home in Giverny during the last thirty years of his life. Everyone who saw them marveled at Neal’s talent._

_Neal was thriving on hot sex and good times with Brian, but he was increasingly uncomfortable with Brian’s wanton promiscuity. He was feeling the need to be less emotionally and financially dependent on the stunning gay icon. Brian’s friends were constantly teasing and belittling him, especially Michael Novotny. It was bothering him, even though he realized that a lot of it was jealousy._

_One night at Babylon, while Brian was in the back room with not one, but two hot tricks, Neal was sitting at the bar when a sophisticated looking older man sat down beside him. He ordered a drink and introduced himself to Neal, “I’m Vincent Adler. I hear you are a quite an artist.”_

_Neal was drunk enough and lonely enough to welcome the compliment. He smiled broadly, “So where did you hear that?”_

_Adler hedged, “Oh, you’d be surprised. Anyway, I have a business proposition for you if you’re interested. How are you at replicas?”_

_Neal frowned, “What do you mean? I prefer to paint originals. Well, except for Monet. I never get tired of painting Water Lilies.”_

_“Really?” Adler arched an eyebrow. “What about Warhol? You know there’s quite a market for those.”_

_“Even imitations?” questioned Neal. “Well, those wouldn’t be too hard to do. What’s your proposition?”_

_“Easy,” the smartly dressed confident businessman replied. “You paint them. I’ll sell them. We’ll split the profit.”_

_Neal was tempted, but he realized, “I don’t think my boyfriend would like it.”_

_Just then Brian appeared behind Neal and hugged him. “What wouldn’t I approve of? And I’m not your boyfriend.”_

_Adler introduced himself, “Good evening, Mr. Kinney. I’m Vincent Adler.” He quickly excused himself, murmuring, “Neal, here’s my card.”_

_Brian demanded, “What was that about?”_

_Neal smiled quietly, “Oh, nothing. Don’t worry about it. Ready to go home?”_

Mozzie grimaced, “So, of course, you called him and went into the forgery business.”

“Something like that,” grinned Neal. His phone buzzed and he was pleased to see it was Brian Kinney. He answered, “Hey, what’s up? We still going out?”


	5. Chapter 5

Elizabeth Burke kicked her husband Peter’s leg under the table. She scolded, “Hon, where are you tonight? You haven’t paid attention to anything I’ve been saying.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Peter offered sincerely. “I was just thinking about....”

“Neal!” Elizabeth chuckled. “Of course you were. What is he up to now?”

Peter sighed, “I’m not sure, but you know with Neal there are no coincidences. Just as a famous painting is discovered to be missing from the Carnegie Museum, an old buddy of Neal’s from Pittsburgh shows up here in New York.”

Elizabeth surmised, “You think Neal and this man have something to do with the missing painting.”

“I’d bet my pension on it,” confirmed Peter. He hesitated, “But it’s not just that. Neal told me this guy wasn’t just his friend. He was his lover, apparently the first one Neal ever had.”

Elizabeth gasped, “Really? Do you mean his first ever or his first man? When did it happen? I didn’t even know Neal was interested in men. He’s such a ladies man. And there’s Kate, and Alex, and Sara. Peter, are you sure?”

Peter nodded, “In fact I believe they are out together at a gay nightclub right now. Of course, his buddy’s boyfriend might be with them, too.”

Elizabeth giggled, “Okay, I need to hear the whole story now!”

Peter gave her a little smile and resounded, “So do I, Hon.”

At the Adonis club, the music was blaring and buff young men in sexy clothing were milling around outside. Neal found Brian leaning up against the wall near the entrance smoking a cigarette. Even at age forty, he wa getting cruised intensely.

When he saw Neal, Brian put out his cigarette and swung an arm around his shoulder. He leaned in for a quick kiss on the mouth and steered Neal to the inside of the club. Brian ordered straight vodka for both of them. Neal accepted his gratefully.

Following Brian’s example, he poured the drink down his throat and they immediately ordered another. Neal giggled, “Trying to get me drunk?”

Brian produced a tab of Ecstasy and leered, “Whatever it takes, Princess.”

Neal hesitated for a moment and then accepted the drug. Being with his tall handsome lover again brought back a flood of happy memories. As an after thought, Neal wondered, “Where’s Justin?”

“Home in bed,” Brian disclosed ruefully. “He got bored at my business dinner and drank himself into a stupor, so I blew him and tucked him in for night night.”

Neal was already feeling high, but he pursued, “Won’t he mind you being here with me?”

Brian shrugged, “He knows me. There are no locks on our doors.”

Neal hung his arms around Brian’s neck and slurred, “So you really haven’t changed.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Brian demurred. “Come on, let’s dance.”

Brian had the looks, libido and stamina of a much younger man. Neal pressed up against him so their cocks rubbed together. He sought Brian’s mouth for the kind of deep sexy kiss he remembered so well, but Brian but turned his face away. He whispered, “Can’t.”

Neal shrugged and contented himself with nuzzling and sucking Brian’s long exposed neck. After a while, Brian gave Neal a sweet smile and took him by the hand. He led him to the club’s back room and Neal enthusiastically dropped to his knees to suck Brian’s impressive dick. 

Before he came, Brian gently pulled Neal back. He drew Neal to his feet and flipped him around so he could fuck him from behind after donning the inevitable condom. Neal moaned and writhed as Brian lubed him with his fingers before slowly pressing into him. Brian reached around to enclose Neal’s throbbing cock, kissed the back of his neck and shoulders, and began to thrust enthusiastically.

Neal hadn’t had sex with another male since his Pittsburgh days. He couldn’t believe how fast the pleasure overcame him and he shot forcefully into Brian’s fingers as he heard Brian call out “Oh Neal” when he came soon after.

Brian hugged Neal tight and suggested, “Come on, I want to take you home to share you with Justin.”

Neal was surprised, but he had consumed several more drinks and another dose of E during the evening and he was ready to comply with whatever Brian wanted. He felt so good and he definitely didn’t want the evening to end. 

As they walked arm in arm back to the hotel, Brian briefly explained how Justin had come to live with him after being thrown out of his home by his father and then getting bashed after his high school prom. He explained, “We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, and it took me a long time to realize how much I love him, but we’re together now.”

Brian opened the door with his key card. Neal hesitated for a moment while Brian made his way across the room to his sleeping partner. He kissed Justin awake and greeted him with, “Hey, Sunshine, feeling better? Look what I brought you.”

Justin squirmed and looked across the room to see Neal standing inside the door. He questioned, “Bri? What is this? Why is he here?”

Brian motioned for Neal to come over and gleamed, “What do you think? I want you to get know Neal. You two have a lot in common.”

Neal gave him a self conscious smile and a little wave and said foolishly, “Hey, JT.”

Brian approached him and began stripping Neal’s clothes off as Justin watched. Neal noticed Justin getting hard beneath the sheets and relaxed a bit. He assured him, “Don’t worry, he wouldn’t kiss me.”

When Brian was naked too, they tumbled onto the bed and both men began massaging and kissing Justin all over. They kicked back the sheets to allow more freedom. Brian grabbed a joint from the nightstand and lit it up to share with Justin and Neal as they continued to caress and nip at each other.

Finally they ended up with Justin sucking Neal’s reinvorigated dick while Brian fucked him from behind again. The exquisite pleasure seemed to Neal to go on forever as the two lovers brought him to a peak excitement that he had rarely experienced. After Neal came, Justin leaned across him to connect passionately with Brian’s mouth.

When Neal woke in the morning, the other two men were already in the shower and he marveled at their stamina as he heard them engaged in another round of sex with each other. Neal glanced at the clock and winced when he saw the time. He still had to get home to change his clothes before getting to work.

He jumped up, ignoring the pounding in his head and the queasiness in his stomach and threw on his clothes. He quickly stuck his head into the steamy bathroom and called out, “Hey guys, I gotta go. Thanks for last night. Later, okay? “

He heard them echo, “Later” and he slipped out of the room.


	6. Chapter 6

As Neal dressed for work, he was interrupted by his friend Mozzie bustling in. He demanded impatiently, “So? The suspense is killing me! Tell me what happened, Neal.”

Neal sighed and pressed a hand to his head. He pleaded, “Mozz, let me finish my coffee first.”

“Oh, quite the wild evening with friend Brian, huh?” Mozzie nodded knowingly.

“Brian and his boyfriend Justin, as it turned out,” disclosed Neal.

“Okay, okay, no need for all the lurid details,” Mozzie interrupted. “You’ll never guess what I found out while you were out having fun!”

“Well?” Neal asked querulously. “Are you going to tell me? I need to get to work.”

Mozzie gave him a superior smile and disclosed, “I know who is fencing the Water Lilies painting. You’ll never guess!”

To Mozzie’s obvious disappointment, Neal said tiredly, “Alex Hunter.”

Mozzie demanded, “But how did you know? I just found out myself from very confidential sources.”

Neal grinned, “I didn’t know. I guessed. Like you told me to.”

Mozzie laughed, “Oh, okay. Want me to talk to Alex about it?”

Neal considered that and then consented, “Yeah. Find out what she knows, Mozz. I have an idea about what is going on but I’m not quite sure yet. Listen, I’ve got to go. I can’t be late. Peter’s already suspicious enough.”

“You going to fill him in on what you know?” inquired Mozzie.

Neal shook his head, “No, not yet. I’ve got to talk to Brian first.”

Mozzie confirmed, “So you’re seeing him again then? Is this mostly business or pleasure, my friend?”

Neal winked slyly as he walked out the door, “Business, I think - mostly.”

At the FBI, Peter was anxiously waiting for Neal to arrive. Diana reminded him, “He’s not even late yet, boss. Why so anxious?”

Peter sighed, “I know. It’s just this missing Monet painting from the Carnegie and mysterious arrival of Neal’s friends from Pittsburgh. I don’t believe in coincidences.”

Diana nodded, “I know what you mean. It’s strange that the Carnegie didn’t even know their painting was a fake until an art student pointed it out to them.”

After a pause, Peter cleared his throat and checked, “Diana? Did you ever think Neal was gay?”

Diana looked surprised and replied, “Honestly, no. I guess he could be bisexual, though. Are you saying Brian Kinney is Neal’s lover?”

“No, I’m not, but I’ve said too much already,” Peter backtracked.

Diana smiled wickedly, “You know, Boss, there have been rumors about you and Neal being so close.”

“Really?!” Peter stammered, “B-but everyone knows I’m happily married to Elizabeth.”

“Don’t be naive,” Diana chided as she noticed Neal getting off the elevator. “Anyway, looks like your favorite CI is here right on time.”

Neal greeted Peter with a shamelessly insincere smile and handed him one of two cups of gourmet coffee that he was carrying. He teased, “Hello, Peter. Been waiting long?”

“For what?” asked Peter, still embarrassed by his conversation with Diana and confused by Neal’s question.

“For me to get here so you could grill me about what I did with Brian last night,” Neal explained impudently. “I know you’re dying to find out. It’s almost like you’re jealous.”

Peter felt flustered, but covered by frowning, “We need to talk. Let’s go to my office now.”

Diana smirked as the two men passed by her. She winked at Jones who just smiled and shook his head.

Peter prompted, “I believe you were telling me about your life in Pittsburgh and your relationship with Brian Kinney. Please continue.”

Neal diverted, “He’s an amazing man, isn’t he? I was surprised to find out he had a boyfriend, and especially such a young one. Can you believe Justin is an artist, too?”

Peter wondered, “You really haven’t seen or talked to him all these years since you left Pittsburgh? I thought you were in love with him.”

“Well, let’s just say I needed to make a clean break from him at the time,” Neal explained. “Then I came to New York and got involved with Mozzie and Kate and, well, you know the rest. I hadn’t even thought about Brian in years and then I just ran into him on Madison Avenue yesterday. I swear, Peter.”

“Hmm, but you were very enthusiastic about seeing him again,” Peter pointed out. “Besides, I don’t remember you mentioning that you had already met Vincent Adler when you and Mozzie decided to run your long con on him.”

“Um, I may have failed to mention that. It didn’t seem important at the time,” admitted Neal.

“So please continue your story,” demanded Peter. “How did you use your painting talent in Pittsburgh?”

_When Brian discovered that Neal had been selling Warhol “reproductions” through Vincent Adler, he was incensed. He moaned, “Why would you do that? Don’t I take care of you? Don’t you have everything you need?”_

_“But Brian I don’t want to depend on you for everything. I want to support myself,” Neal insisted stubbornly._

_“I guess you don’t care that what you are doing is illegal then?” Brian demanded. “Don’t you know you could be arrested for forgery? You can be sure Mr. Adler would cut you loose in a heartbeat and save his own skin.”_

_“What do you mean forgeries?” Neal protested naively. “They’re just copies. Everybody knows it.”_

_Brian scoffed, “Come on, Princess. How do you know that? You hand your works over to Adler and he sells ithem to unsuspecting marks as originals. He’s probably paying you a paltry amount of what he actually makes from them.”_

_Neal suddenly felt foolish - and scared. He moved toward Brian for some physical comfort, but Brian coldly walked away. Neal whined, “Bri, what am I going to do? Do you think I’m really in trouble?”_

_Brian pursed his lips and snapped, “You will be if you don’t stop dealing with Adler immediately. He probably wants your ass, too, so he won’t be happy, but you have to tell him to fuck off.“_

_Neal groaned and flopped down on the couch and covered his face. Brian finally took pity on him. He went over and knelt down beside Neal. He peeled Neal’s fingers away from his face and kissed them one by one. Inevitably, they ended up in bed having passionate sex._

Peter pointed out, “Neal, you just confessed to participating in criminal activity, whether you realized it or not.”

Neal gave him a weak smile and reminded, “Statute of limitations, Peter.”

Peter harrumphed and complained, “Why don’t I feel like that’s the end of this story? What about the Monet, Neal?”


	7. Chapter 7

Justin quietly checked Brian’s phone to get Neal Caffrey’s number. There were questions he wanted answers to and he wasn’t getting them from Brian. He tried not to feel insecure, but there was something disturbing about this former lover that Brian had never even mentioned. For one thing, the man was a criminal. Justin wondered if the art thief and forger had anything to do with the missing Monet. If he was involved, did Brian know about it?

After the long morning in Peter’s office, Neal was relieved by the ringing of his phone. He gave Peter an apologetic look and asked to take the call outside the room. Peter nodded curtly. To Neal’s surprise, the call was from Justin Taylor. Neal asked, “How did you get my number, Justin? Does Brian know you’re calling me?.”

“Not exactly,” Justin hedged, “but I don’t think he’d mind. He’s busy with his business deal, but he wants us to be friends.”

“Hmm,” Neal stalled. “Well, What can I do for you, JT?”

“Lunch, maybe? How about here at the hotel,” suggested Justin. “I can order room service.”

Neal laughed, “How about if I just pick up some food from a local deli and bring it over? I can be there in about an hour.”

Peter looked up as Neal came back into his office. He raised his brow and asked, “What’s up?”

“Okay if I go have lunch with Justin Taylor?” Neal inquired. “I’d like to know how he detected the Carnegie Monet was a forgery.”

“I bet you would,” Peter sighed. “Yeah, go ahead. I have meetings this afternoon anyway. We’ll continue this conversation later. I want that painting found and this case solved, Neal.”

“Of course,” Neal agreed brightly. “What else? I’ll see you later.”

On the way to The Four Seasons, Neal continued to think back to his time in Pittsburgh.

_Neal was enthralled with Brian, even if Brian insisted he didn’t believe in love. He felt like part of the Pittsburgh gay community family, accepted by most of Brian’s friends. He was at his creative peak, but he realized he had made a mistake getting involved with Vincent Adler._

_Neal tried to tell Adler he was through with his forgery scheme, but it wasn’t that easy. Adler gave him a smarmy smile and proposed, “Sure, Neal. I’ll let you out of our little deal if you will do one more thing for me.”_

_“What is that?” Neal asked, fearing that Adler was about to demand sex from him._

_Instead, Adler took another unexpected direction. “Neal, I know you do a very credible job of replicating Monet’s Water Lilies. I want to to make me an exact copy of the one in the museum and help me exchange it.”_

_“What?? No. That’s criminal. I won’t do it,” declared Neal. “No way.”_

_“Oh, I think you will,” Adler smoothly insisted. “You see, I could turn you in right now for the Warhols. On the other hand, you could also turn on me. I want to be sure we have a mutually assured destruction situation.”_

_“B-but, I can’t,” Neal protested. “What if we get caught? Brian will never forgive me.”_

_Adler laughed, “Brian Kinney is the least of your problems, kid. I can destroy him, too, and I will if I need to. Don’t make me do that.”_

_Neal stammered, “B-but how? I don’t know where to begin.”_

_“Sure you do,” Adler assured. “You make the substitute painting and I’ll help figure out the exchange. It won’t be as hard as you think.”_

_Neal caught sight of Michael Novotny near by giving them a curious look. Adler noticed too, and made a quick exit._

Neal shivered as he remembered how Adler had fondled his ass as he walked away. He brought his thoughts back to the present in New York and got on the hotel elevator. Justin opened the door dressed in nothing but sagging grey sweatpants, with his thick blond hair attractively mussed. 

He stared at Neal with his crystal clear light blue eyes and invited, “Hey, come on in.”

Neal held up the bags of deli food and strolled into the room. The two young men sat at a small table and began eating and talking companionably. They washed down their lunch with a nice wine.

They had a lot in common and as they split the bottle of wine, they were finding each other very interesting and attractive. Justin showed Neal his sketchbook and Neal admired his work. He remarked, “So you actually make a living as an artist? That’s so cool.”

“Yeah, I do all right. I’m making a name for myself,” Justin agreed. “Brian and I are together, but I didn’t want to have to depend on him for everything.”

“Oh, I know what you mean,” Neal nodded sadly. “That’s really the reason Brian and I broke up. Unfortunately, I made a deal with a devil to sell my art.”

Justin’s chuckled, “I understand. I actually took a job dancing on the bar at Babylon for awhile. Then the guy who hired me drugged me and tried to gang rape me.”

Neal winced, “There are some real sleazebags out there. That’s for sure. I may be a con man and a thief, but I try not to hurt people, if I can help it.”

They talked about their friends in the Pittsburgh gay community. Neal was delighted about the story of Emmett and George Schickle, even if it had a sad ending. He was shocked to hear of Ted’s porn business and descent into crystal meth addiction, but heartened by the impressive comeback he had made with Brian’s help. 

Neal couldn’t believe that Vic had died and Debbie was living with a police detective. He was thrilled to hear that Lindsay and Melanie were married and amazed that they had kids, even more so because one of them was Brian’s. 

Justin bragged, “Yep, I was the one who decided Gus’s name. Brian is an incredible father.”

Neal shook his head in wonder. He asked, “What about Michael? You said you work on a gay comic book with him? You two must be friends then.”

“Mmmm, mostly,” Justin hedged. “Michael has a loving partner now, but you probably remember how jealous and protective of Brian he is.”

When they finished their meal, Justin retrieved a joint from Brian’s stash and lit it up. He inhaled deeply and handed it to Neal.

Justin earnestly explained to Neal how he had noticed the minute variation in brush stroke technique while examining the Monet one day at the Carnegie Museum. He giggled, “I probably would never have even noticed if I hadn’t been high.”

Neal moaned good naturedly, “Just my luck, a stoned boy wonder would wander in years later and bust me!”

“So you really did it?” Justin marveled. “Did Brian know it? Do you have the real one?”

“Of course not,” Neal swore. Then he chuckled, “But I wouldn’t tell you anyway!”

Justin queried, “Would you tell Brian? I wouldn’t want anything to hurt him. You know I love him. Did you love him very much?”

Neal sighed, “Of course, I did. Brian is everything, well, you know....”

Justin moved over to sit close to Neal so their shoulders and legs were touching. Neal awkwardly put his arm around Justin and they came together for a long exploratory kiss that lasted longer than either expected and left them breathless.

Neal murmured, “What happened to the no kissing rule?”

Justin confessed sheepishly, “I made our rules, but Brian is better at keeping them than I am.”

Justin began unbuttoning Neal’s shirt and taking it off, while Neal fumbled with his pants. He winked when Justin noticed his anklet and whispered, “Don’t worry, Peter already knows I’m here. Just ignore it.”

Soon they were stretched out on the bed barely clothed. Justin proposed, “Let’s suck each other off.”

Neal thought that was an excellent idea and enthusiastically positioned himself and then licked the head of Justin’s hard on. Justin reciprocated and they were too involved in their mutual pleasure to hear the door open as Brian slipped into the room.

Brian stood there and stared at the two beautiful blue eyed artists posed like sexy mirror images on his bed. He broke into a bemused smile and shook his head. He quietly poured himself a drink and sat back to watch.


	8. Chapter 8

When Neal failed to return from lunch, Peter asked Jones to check his anklet and they discovered that Neal was at The Four Seasons hotel. Peter called Elizabeth and let her know he was he was going to go check up on him. 

When he got to the hotel, Peter used his FBI credentials to get the room number and went directly up to knock on the door. When Brian answered, he was still dressed in his elegantly tailored suit but had his jacket and shoes off and a drink in his hand. He raised his eyebrows at the FBI Agent and asked cynically, “Is there something, or should I say, someone, you need?”

Peter awkwardly peered past Brian’s shoulder and got a view of Neal and Justin napping in each other’s arms on the king size bed. Brian smiled mirthlessly, “Adorable, aren’’t they? Jealous, Peter?”

Peter fumbled for a response and managed, “I, uh, just wanted to see if Neal was all right. He’s, uh, my responsibility, you know.”

Brian smirked, “Well, he looks all right to me. What do you think?”

Neal woke up then and looked around. When he saw Peter standing there, he sat straight up and tried to cover himself with the sheet. Justin turned over and groaned sleepily, “Hey, what’s going on?”

Brian opened the door wide and shrugged, “Come on in, Agent Burke. Everyone seems to be awake now.”

Justin sauntered over to Brian and casually hugged him before announcing, “Guess I’ll take a shower. How about you, Neal?”

Neal stuttered self consciously, “Oh, uh, n-no, I’ll wait till later.”

Brian grinned, “Have a seat, Peter. What can I get you to drink?”

Peter stiffly declined. “No thank you. I’ll just wait for him out in the hall. Neal, get your clothes on.”

When Neal joined Peter in the hall he was hurriedly dressed and Peter chuckled at his unusually rumpled condition. He deadpanned, “So, I see you and Justin Taylor got along well. Did you find out what you wanted to know?”

Neal blushed and flirted, “Did you find out what you wanted to know? Or maybe you’d like me to show you how it’s done.”

Peter shivered and his dick got hard at Neal’s innuendo. He spat out, “No, Neal. Stop that. You know what I meant.”

Neal took Peter’s arm and sassed, “Oh really? Aren’t you curious? You know some people already think you and I are partners in more ways than one.”

Peter shook Neal’s arm off and grumbled, “How do you know that? No, never mind. I’m not gay, Neal. What would Elizabeth say?”

Neal giggled, “She’d probably think it was hot!”

Peter laughed and admitted ruefully, “She probably would.”

Neal leered, “She could watch! I bet she’d love it.”

Peter put out his hand and commanded, “Just stop that, Neal. It’s not going to happen! I don’t care what you, or Elizabeth, or anyone else says.”

“Okay, okay, Peter,” Neal soothed. “Calm down and I’ll tell you what I’ve learned.”

“That’s more like it,” Peter approved. “Where’s the painting? Do your friends have something to do with its theft?”

“Well, no, I mean, not exactly,” Neal started to explain. “First of all, Mozzie is trying to find Alex. He thinks she has the painting, but we don’t know yet who is trying to buy it.”

Peter resolved, “Well, then let’s go find Mozzie and Alex. Do you think Brian Kinney has anything to do with all this?”

Neal hesitated, “Well, that’s what I can’t quite figure out. I know he wouldn’t willingly get involved and I don’t think he ever knew about my part in forging and stealing the Monet. He probably suspected something because I left Pittsburgh abruptly about the same time Adler disappeared.”

_Brian stared at Neal in disbelief, “So you’re just leaving. Just like that. Why now?”_

_Neal shrugged sheepishly, “You knew I always planned to move on to New York. Now seems like a good time.”_

_“But why now?” questioned Brian suspiciously. “Does this have to do with Adler? Have you gotten into more trouble?”_

_“Well, you don’t want to know about it if I did,” Neal retorted. It was breaking his heart to leave his alluring generous lover, but he felt he had to. It would be best for both of them. No way was Neal going to get Brian involved in Adler’s criminal scheme. “Anyway, there are no locks on our door, right?”_

_Brian threw up his hands, “You’re right. There’s nothing to keep you here!” Then he relented and tried one more time, “Neal, won’t you let me help you? Whatever trouble you’re in, I’m sure....”_

_“No!” Neal exclaimed sharply. “There is nothing to do. It’s over! Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, but I have to go now.”_

_When Brian sadly related what had happened to his friends at the diner, Debbie crowed, “I knew that gorgeous charmer was no good. You’re better off without him. Now you can get on with your life.”_

_The rest of his friends looked on sadly, knowing that Brian was more hurt than he let on. The exception was Michael who was positively beaming. He volunteered, “Hey, Bri, I’ll come over and we can hang out later, like old times.”_

Peter looked fondly at Neal and summed up, “So you broke his heart, Neal, and you never looked back. You didn’t learn anything from your experience because you looked up Adler when you got here.”

“Oh, I learned that I was an excellent forger,” Neal confessed ruefully, “and that there was a lot of money to be made that way.”

“Then when you fell in love with Kate, you forgot all about Brian,” concluded Peter. “I’m curious. Did Adler ever make a move on you sexually?”

Neal shook his head, “No, the subtext was always there, but he never made any overt moves.”

Neal’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he let Peter know, “It’s Mozz. Come on. He wants to meet with us.”

When they met Mozzie back at Neal’s place, Mozz was reluctant to discuss Alex’s involvement, but he disclosed, “I found out who Brian is meeting with here in New York. His name is Adam Lyons. He’s the CEO of a major ad firm looking to take over Brian’s advertising agency.”

“I could have told you that,” Neal huffed. “That’s no secret.”

“Well, did you know Adam Lyons tried to recruit Kinney to his firm years ago? Apparently, he had quite the crush on him. It didn’t work out at the time, because the company hired from within,” Mozzie informed them. 

“Okay,” Peter broke in. “What’s that got to do with our missing Monet?”

Mozzie smiled smugly, “It turns out that Adam Lyons wants to acquire it.”

Neal gasped, “Really? Do you think Brian knows?”

“Wait,” Mozzie added. “There’s something else. Lyons once worked for Vincent Adler. He was his public relations man.”

Peter immediately called Diana and instructed her and Jones to look into Adam Lyons and his connection with Vincent Adler. She agreed and warned, “Boss, Agent Hughes is getting impatient. He wants that painting returned to the Carnegie Museum before there’s a lot of publicity about this.”

Peter confirmed, “Understood.” He turned to Neal and Mozzie and said crisply, “Well, let’s go talk to Alex.”


	9. Chapter 9

Brian was amused that his two artistic blue eyed lovers liked each other so much, but after talking with Justin about his conversation with Neal, Brian was worried. He had an eerie feeling that somehow he might be involved.

After leisurely making love to Justin, Brian got up and found his phone and punched in a familiar number. When it was answered, he drawled, “Hey, Mikey.“

Michael eagerly greeted him, “Hey, Brian! How’s New York? Are you going to sell Kinnetik to Adam Lyons?”

“Not so fast,” Brian countered. “I want you to tell me what you know about the missing Water Lilies painting by Claude Monet at the Carnegie Museum.”

“W-what?” Michael stumbled. There was a long silence as Michael thought back to the time when he discovered that Neal was forging paintings.

_After overhearing Brian’s accusations, Michael Novotny had followed Neal surreptitiously to see what else he could find out. He found himself in the Carnegie Museum of Art where Neal and Vincent Adler were arguing in front of the famous Monet Water Lilies painting. Adler was saying, “The switch has to be made now. This is the only way I’m letting you off the hook, Caffrey. If it is ever discovered, I will make you pay.”_

_Neal assured him, “I get it. I just want out. My work is so good, no one will ever notice the difference. The tricky part will be making the exchange, but I think your plan will work.”_

_Michael followed Adler as he left the museum and confronted him. “I know about your whole dirty scheme with Caffrey, including the Monet and all those Warhol’s. I’m going to turn you both in.”_

_Adler wanted to get out of town fast so he told Michael he could keep the Monet if he would never say anything. Once Adler got to New York, he would let Michael know how to sell it. Michael had no idea how much the Monet was worth, but he loved having leverage over Neal and being able to get both Neal and Adler out of Brian’s life._

_Michael hid the painting in a rented storage space and left it there. He thought of it as sort of a retirement savings plan. He was afraid of getting caught, but he figured he could sell it someday if he really needed the money._

_When Justin discovered the forgery, Michael panicked and felt he had to get rid of the painting as soon as possible. He contacted Alex Hunter whom Vincent Adler had recommended before he died and told her to contact Adam Lyons._

_Much to Michael’s surprise, Adam Lyons knew all about the forged painting. Apparently Adler had told him everything. Adam threatened, “Listen Mike, I want to take over Brian’s Kinnetik agency. I need you to make sure that happens. Then I’ll take the painting off your hands.”_

_“Take it off my hands?” exploded Michael. “It must be worth a fortune! Anyway, I don’t know how you expect me to get Brian to sell Kinnetik. I know he’s been thinking about it.”_

_“Well, you just make sure he does,” Lyons insisted, “or I’ll make sure you and Kinney and Caffrey all go down.”_

Michael’s hand trembled as he gripped the phone and his voice reflected his panic, as he whined to Brian, “I don’t know what to do. I never wanted to get involved in this, but I was trying to protect you from getting hurt.”

Brian demanded tersely, “What are you talking about, Mikey?”

“Just be sure you sell Kinnetik to Adam Lyons and everything will be okay,” Michael suddenly blurted out.

“Wait! What does that have to do with the missing painting?” Brian questioned.

Michael admitted shamefully, “It just does, okay? Come on, Brian, you were going to sell anyway. Just do it.”

Brian stood there with the phone in his hand after Michael disconnected. Justin was awake and wondered, “What’s wrong? We’re you talking to Michael? Does he have something to do with this?”

Bria sighed worriedly, “I don’t know, Sunshine. Maybe.”

Before he could say anything more, his phone buzzed and Brian answered curtly, “What?”

Debbie Novotny scolded, “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you have Michael worried to death. Please tell me this doesn’t have anything to do with Neal Caffrey!”

“None of your business, Deb,” Brian responded irritably. “You leave Neal alone.”

“I knew it,” Debbie ranted. “That boy always was trouble. You were lucky he left when he did. Anyway, what about Suunshine?”

Brian sighed, “He’s right here, Deb. He sends his love. Now leave it alone.”

As soon as he hung up, the phone buzzed again. This time it was Lindsay Peterson exclaiming, “Oh my god! Brian, I just found out the Monet painting at the Carnegie is a forgery? Did you know that? Do you know where the real one is.?”

“No, I don’t, Lindz,” Brian retorted. “Why would I?”

Lindsay continued, “Well, you better not. I don’t want Gus’s father dragged into a scandal!”

Bruian smirked, “Thanks for your concern, dear. Tell Gus I miss him and I’ll see him soon.”

Justin grinned, “Wow! Guess the word is out! Everybody in Pittsburgh seems to be getting involved.”

Brian’s phone buzzed again and he answered it, “Not you, too. Teddy.”

“Me too, what?” asked Ted. “I’m just calling to see if you are going through with the sale? Adam Lyons has requested some financial figures from me. Should I give them to him?”

“Yeah, go ahead and give him what he wants,” Brian conceded. “Looks like we’ll be selling. I don’t want to work for that bastard, though.”

Ted questioned, “But I thought it was part of the deal that you would continue to consult.”

Brian retorted sharply, “Well, not anymore. You take care of it. Good bye, Teddy.”

Justin walked over and hugged Brian, and asked softly, “Wanna tell me what’s really going on, Bri?”

“Damned if I know,” Brian replied. “Come on, Sunshine, let’s go out. I need to talk to Neal.”


	10. Chapter 10

Finding Alex Hunter turned out to be more difficult than Peter and Neal expected. Mozzie had seen her recently, but they didn’t know that since then, Adam Lyons had kidnapped her. He was holding her captive in his executive offices, keeping her drugged to prevent her from escaping.

As Peter vented his frustration, Neal got a call from Brian asking him to meet Justin and himself at the Adonis club. Neal offered, “What do you say, Peter? Wanna go clubbing?”

Peter pointed out the obvious, “I’d stand out like a sore thumb and I’d be uncomfortable as hell. I’ll pass.”

They agreed that Mozzie would keep searching for Alex. Peter was going to return to the FBI offices to see what Diana and Jones had been able to find out.

When he got to his office, Peter was surprised to get a call from Sara Ellis, the smart pretty red haired insurance investigator from Sterling Bosch. He asked courteously, “Sara, what can the FBI do for Sterling Bosch today?”

Sara replied nervously, “No, Peter, this is personal. Um, I haven’t seen Neal lately and I wondered if he was all right?”

“Oh, that depends,” sighed Peter. “He’s fine physically; you might even say better than fine.”

“Well, what is it then?” Sara pursued. “Is he in trouble? I don’t want to sound like a school girl with a crush, but I was expecting him to call me this week.”

Peter said sympathetically, “Oh, I’m sorry Sara....”

Sara giggled self consciously, “Uh oh, don’t tell me it’s another woman. I guess I should’ve known. I’m so embarrassed. Just forget I called, Peter, please.”

Peter protested weakly, “No, it’s not another woman. It’s, uh, well.... Sara, I’ll tell Neal to call you.”

She agreed glumly, “Yeah, you do that. I was really hoping we had something, you know?”

“Well, I wouldn’t give up just yet,” advised Peter. “He’s a little busy right now, but you should talk to him. I’m sure he’ll call you when he can.”

Meanwhile Neal met up with Brian and Justin at the club and ordered a drink at the bar. Brian asked, “Have you ever met a guy named Adam Lyons?”

“You mean the guy who wants to buy Kinnetik?” Neal answered.

Justin blurted out, “How did you know? Hey, you do know him! Is he the guy with the Monet?

Neal responded, “Huh? No. What are you talking about? Brian, what does selling Kinnetik have to do with the Monet?”

Brian draped an arm over Neal’s shoulders and groaned, “Hell if I know, but I think we’re going to need your FBI friend to help.

Justin leaned back and watched Brian gaze hungrily into Neal’s brilliant blue eyes. The two tall brunette men looked so good together. He shrugged, “Go ahead and kiss him. I did.”

Brian gave Justin a sidewise look and then gave Neal a long romantic kiss. Neal looked amused and remarked, “Well, now we’re all even.”

Neal grabbed his ringing phone and saw that Peter was calling. He answered, “Speak of the devil.”

Peter told him, “I need you to come back here right away. We have some information on Adam Lyons that is disturbing. He may not be as harmless as we thought.”

Neal complained, “Right now, Peter? I’m with Brian and Justin.”

“Yeah, right now,” Peter insisted. “By the way, have you talked to Sara lately? You need to call her.”

Neal looked at his phone with disgust. Brian asked, “What it is it with that guy, Neal? He seems attracted to you. Do you and he get it on?”

Neal scoffed, “No, Peter would never do that. He really loves his wife.”

Justin nodded knowingly, “But you’d like to.”

Neal answered slowly, “I don’t know. I’ve only been with women since Pittsburgh. In fact, Peter just reminded me there is one I need to call. Anyway, I have to go now.”

Neal found Peter assembling a SWAT team with Jones’s and Diana’s help. He demanded, “What’s going on? What’s happened? Did something happen to Alex?”

Peter nodded grimly, “We think so. We’re going to check it out now. I want you along so Alex doesn’t get spooked. Once we bring in Lyons, we’re going to need to ask Brian to come here and help with the interrogation.”

On the way to Lyon’s corporate offices, Neal quietly called his old lover to tell him what was happening. Peter, Jones, Diana and Neal entered the building, while their team of armed men covered the building’s entrances.

When they got inside, Peter presented his warrant to the professional secretary who greeted them. Neal caught sight a of a quick movement down a hall behind her and immediately rushed in that direction before anyone could stop him.

A delirious Alex threw herself into Neal’s arms and sobbed, “I knew you’d come to rescue me, Neal.”

Peter hurried over while Diana and Jones continued to demand access to the entire building. He called out, “Alex, are you all right? Where’s Adam Lyons?”

“Dunno,” Alex slurred. “He tied me up, but I escaped. He isn’t a nice man.”

“He obviously drugged her, Peter,” Neal pointed out. “You’re going to have to wait to question her. Can we get some medical help for her?”

Peter nodded, “Of course, but just one thing first. Alex, do you know where Monet’s Water Lilies is now?”

Alex shook her head and admitted, “Adam was trying to get it, but I don’t know where it is. Maybe Neal knows.”

Neal quickly shook his head, “No, Peter, I don’t know what happened to it. It was supposed to go Adler. That’s all I know. I thought he had it.”

Jones stormed over holding a frightened Adam Lyons with his arms behind his back. He snarled, “I found him trying to creep down the stairs. What do you want me to do with him?”

Peter looked at the man with disgust. “Arrest him for kidnapping Miss Hunter.and then take him back to the office for further questioning.”

He turned to Diana and ordered, “As soon as Alex is cleared to go by the medics, bring her, too.”

Suddenly, Lyons made a break from Jones and backed down the hall. He pulled out a gun as he approached the exit and the SWAT team shot him.

While Peter’s attention was focused on the pandemonium, Neal quickly called back to update and confer with Brian. Together they figured out what had happened to the painting those many years ago and devised a plan to make things right.

Brian placed a call to Michael and told him tersely, “Mikey, don’t ask any questions. Just do what I tell you. Get Ben and Emmett and Ted to help you take the Monet painting back to the Carnegie Museum. Just tell them that you found it in an old storage container and you don’t know how it got there. Take Melanie with you just in case they have too many questions.”

Michael protested, “But what about Adam Lyons? He’s going to turn you in.”

Brian informed him, “Oh, no he’s not. And he’s not going to be buying Kinnetik either. Now just do what I told you.”

When Brian and Justin were ushered into the FBI office, Brian looked over at Neal and mouthed, “Thank you.”

A short while later, Agent Hughes summoned Peter to his office with his famous two fingered point. When Peter came back, he gave Neal and Brian a quizzical look and drawled laconically, “Well, it seems the Monet painting has been returned to the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh and they don’t want any further publicity. They want us to drop the whole matter.”

Brian stuck his tongue in his cheek and smiled like the cat who swallowed the canary. “Why, Agent Burke, isn’t that just a perfect ending?”

Neal and Justin were grinning guiltily, but Peter just shook his head and muttered, “I suppose it is.”

Neal suddenly suggested, “Peter, call Elizabeth and I’ll call Sara and we can take Brian Justin out to celebrate the end of the case.”

Peter wondered, “What about Alex, Neal?”

“She’s in no condition to go out,” Diana volunteered. “I’ll take her home and get her settled.”

Peter nodded gratefully and added, “Jones, you finish up with the paperwork here and then you two can join our party.” He frowned, “Where are we going, Neal? Not to a gay nightclub.”

Neal suggested happily, “I know just the place! Can I call Mozzie, too?”

On the way to the restaurant, Brian quickly called Ted and filled him in on the situation, “And tell Mikey I want to talk to him when I get back. I can’t believe what he did!”

Ted asked, “Does this mean we’re not selling Kinnetik? I though you wanted to have more time to travel with Justin. Did seeing Neal Caffrey give you doubts?”

“No, just the opposite,” Bri said softly. “Find us another buyer.”

Elizabeth Burke was charmed by Brian and Justin, and Sara Ellis was intrigued. By the time, Mozzie and Diana and Jones arrived, the drinks had been flowing and everyone was having a good time.

Brian pulled Neal over to where Peter was standing and talking to Justin. He interrupted, “Peter, don’t you think your pet criminal deserves a little time off? I’m going to need him for a couple of days.”

Neal and Peter both look surprised, but Justin was even more amazed when Brian dropped to one knee and took his hand. He held out the rings he had bought for their cancelled wedding and vowed, “I love you, Justin Taylor. I was selling the company so I would be able to give more time and attention to you. I didn’t want to hold you back, but now that you are successful on your own, let’s go ahead and get married.”

Justin beamed his thousand watt smile and threw his arms around Brian’s neck. He exclaimed, “Yes!” and tackled Brian’s lips with his own. Barely holding onto the rings, Brian sat back onto the floor and Justin scrambled onto his lap, still kissing him.

Neal heard Elizabeth gasp, “Are they going to make love right here?!”

He winked at Sara as he deftly intervened to pull the two lovers to their feet. To Neal’s chagrin, and everyone else’s fascination, they each took turns giving Neal long deep kisses, too.

Neal grinned goofily as Brian stated, “Neal, I want you to be my best man.”

Neal protested, “But what about Mikey?”

“Screw him,” Brian insisted, “I want you.”

Justin affirmed happily, “You might as well say yes. Brian always gets what he wants eventually.”

There were several audible “aws” and a few surreptitious tears wiped away as the three men stood with their arms around each other.

When Neal returned to Sara, she quipped, “You’ve got a lot of ‘splaining to do, Junior!”

Elizabeth said, “I second that,” but Peter just smiled benignly. He felt he knew enough.

**Author's Note:**

> The White Collar characters were invented by Jeff Eastin for the USA TV series. Characters from Queer As Folk (US) are borrowed from the FX TV series. Thank you to the authors and owners for the fictional use of their characters.


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